The affectionate reply from the mayor's chief of staff, Rebecca Wakefield, made me realize a big thing: I feel helpless for the first time in my life. When running popular venues, I was able to do one of the thing I do best: raise money. How much fun did we have after Katrina throwing the benefit for the abandoned pets, raising over a thousand dollars in two hours of drag shows. Here was Ditmar doing his part. We had a good time, especially knowing where the money was going.


I have spent over a year looking for a space for a small bar and kitchen. We had so many close deals and, then, we ran into the law of the town. After World War II, most of the commercial real estate was scooped up by a small number New York families and they dictate everything. Over the past year, one landlord said he wanted a personal guarantee and I informed him this doesn't happen (that's why the LLC was created). Another landlord wanted us to replace his plate glass windows with hurricane-proof ones; I informed him that that was a capital improvement not taken on by the lessee. One after another, we fought with these most vile and vicious businessmen who bond together--funny cap on--with each other.

We all keep looking for the lovely, neighborhood spot, but in the mean time, I am getting cranky, I am sick of attending mindless parties; I need to give them myself.